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Cliff Richard was right to fight trial by media


The Journalist devoted generous space to disapproving commentary of the High Court’s refusal to legitimise the BBC/police conspiracy to invade and film Cliff Richard’s home in his absence. The BBC claims the decision to award Sir Cliff damages will have a ‘chilling effect’ on press freedom. It will mean ‘more restrictions, more abuse of power’,


says Raymond Snoddy. It may even – horror of horrors – mean that people arrested but not charged (or, in Sir Cliff’s case, not even arrested) have the right to privacy and natural justice. Once upon a time, this was called presumption of


innocence. It is an ancient right, dating back to Magna Carta and the bedrock of basic justice and a civilised society. In recent years, this precious right has been traduced to


the point of destruction by much of the media. Shamefully, journalists have promoted, almost obsessively, vigilante witch hunts and public pillorying as ‘news’ – even as fact – when the only evidence is gossip and hearsay. Trial by media rules. Thanks to his wealth and considerable courage, Cliff


Richard has called their bluff and we ought to be grateful to him. The BBC/police invasion of his home was not a ‘scoop’ but an outrage that left privacy and presumption of innocence in shreds. At the very least, it ought to sound an alarm for those who still pride themselves in being journalists. John Pilger London


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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H On his way to his chosen conclusion,


Populism beat accuracy in contradictory column The media is now divided into two classes: columnists, who get a page of prominence to develop a pet subject; and the rest of us, who are confined to comment in the small print. A columnist for a respectable publication has a duty to support his opinions with evidence and logic – and certainly not contradict himself. But no, the object of columnism is the same as populism: to achieve emotional resonance with readers rather than deliver wisdom, nuance and common sense.


22 | theJournalist


Raymond Snoddy damns his own case twice. This makes it difficult for him to see that what he is really saying is that the bully should be given an unconditional licence to go on bullying. The media continually claims to be the


protector of free speech and the public interest (or the sinister-sounding ‘greater good’). It must justify this self-belief. The problem, I suspect, is that few journalists have been on the receiving end of media abuse in which no public interest is involved and free speech is entirely one sided. They don’t


understand why they should restrain themselves from spying on private residences from helicopters. Nick Inman Occitanie France


Snoddy: freedom under threat if precedent set To be clear, there was no ‘disapproving commentary’ of the High Court decision in the Sir Cliff Richard case but of the general implications of such a ruling if it becomes a legal precedent without proper scrutiny or legislation.


Email to: journalist@nuj.org.uk Post to: The Journalist 72 Acton Street, London WC1X 9NB Tweet to: @mschrisbuckley


For now, editors and news editors are unsure where they stand although maybe caution and restraint in such matters is no bad thing. Neither was there any support for the ‘BBC/police invasion’ of his home while Sir Cliff was abroad. Such reporting should never have happened, certainly not in the form it did. But it is a serious matter to move from that to a blanket ban that would mean another freedom is lost and one which is impractical to impose anyway in the age of the internet and the social media. Raymond Snoddy


Mirror is hypocritical over workers’ rights and unions The extraordinary level of double standards shown by Mirror management towards the trades union movement might be regarded as laughable if it wasn’t so depressing. Its national titles claim to champion the right of workers to belong to a trades union. Indeed, the Daily Mirror recently celebrated the TUC’s 150th anniversary with a series of double page spreads about the history of the movement. Yet NUJ members on the same paper and sister titles the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People are denied a say in negotiations over pay, working conditions and redundancies at their Canary Wharf HQ. This is because Mirror bosses choose to recognise the British Association of Journalists, not the TUC-affiliated NUJ. When will this hypocrisy end? NUJ Mirror member


Simplicity of photo story gave it great power Thank you for Bill Batchelor’s extraordinary photograph and account of Leon Greenman, thought to be the only Englishman sent to Auschwitz (August/September). I found the simplicity of the image and economy of the writing hugely powerful. So often we over-elaborate to the detriment of impact. David Brindle London


TIM ELLIS


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